The Bugloss is a real asset to any garden. Because the perennial is very easy to care for and also attracts bees and butterflies to your garden.
The viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare) is an old cultivated plant, which was also called wild ox tongue in the herbal books of the Middle Ages. Stolzer Heinrich or Himmelbrand are further synonyms for the blue flowering borage plant, which feels particularly at home in rock gardens. The undemanding plants are well suited for beginners and can do pioneering work when creating a garden, as they settle where nothing has grown before. Below you can read what you need to consider when caring for the viper's bugloss.
Watering the Viper's Bugloss Properly
If you plant the viper's bugloss, regular watering is a must. If the plants are well established and have developed their characteristic taproots, they need to be watered less often. Then the soil should rather appear too dry than too wet. The plant ensures its nutrient supply via the taproots. The thick-skinned leaves are hairy. This also helps the plant not to dry out as quickly because the dew can stick there better.
Since the viper's bugloss does not tolerate waterlogging, care should be taken to ensure that the soil is well drained. If the substrate is mixed with sand or gravel, the liquid accumulates less in the ground. Furthermore, a permeable soil is a guarantee that the taproots can spread well in the ground.
» Reading tip: "Loosening and improving compacted soil"
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- Water young plants regularly
- Water older plants less
- top layer of soil is allowed to dry
- pay attention to soil permeability
- Avoid waterlogging
Fertilize the Viper Bugloss properly
Fertilization is not necessary for the viper's bugloss. The plants prefer a rather barren soil. Therefore, the plant can quickly become oversupplied. A nutrient-rich soil does not let the viper's buglossbut leads to the plants developing more leaves and often only very sparsely or not at all can be made to flower.
Does the viper's bugloss have to be cut?
Cutting the viper's bugloss is also less of a problem. Since the plants reproduce by self-seeding, the wilted flowers must be removed if you do not want new plantlets. After the seeds have ripened, the upper inflorescences wither and are cut off close to the ground. That's all you have to consider when cutting the viper's bugloss.
What types of viper's bugloss are there?
Viper Buglosses form a genus within the borage family. The genus includes about 65 species.
Tip: The name can be traced back to the style reminiscent of snake tongues.
The viper's bugloss is the most common plant in our latitudes. Most species occur in Europe, North Africa and the Near East. Almost 30 species of bugloss grow on the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cape Verde alone. Some plant species can also be found in Australia and North America.
Tip: Most Viper Bugloss species are not hardy and can therefore only be planted in tubs in our latitudes.
Italian Bugloss (Echium italicum )
These biennial plants can grow up to a meter in height. The lanceolate leaves are about 30 centimeters long. The leaves are covered with soft bristles. The inflorescences are arranged in a pyramid shape. The Italian Viper's Bugloss can flower pink, yellow or white-blue. Occurrences can be found in southern Europe and in the Middle East.
Plantain-leaved Viper Bugloss (Echium plantagineum)
In the 19th century the plant was called ox mouth in the Mark Brandenburg. The plants are about half a meter high and have bristly hairs on the above-ground parts of the plant. The basal leaves are oval and long-stalked. The plantain-leaved viper's bugloss flowers between April and July. The blue flowers later turn purple-pink. The plants prefer to grow along roadsides and on sandy substrates near the coast. The plantain viper's bugloss is distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and is also found on the Canary Islands and Madeira.
White Anaga Bugloss (Echium simplex)
You can see the Anaga Viper Bugloss during a holidaymeet in Tenerife. The plant grows alone on this Canary Island. The plant is perennial and has silvery hairy leaves up to 40 centimeters long. The white anaga viper's bugloss is in bloom between April and May. The plants only flower when they are at least four years old.
Tip: With a fully formed inflorescence the plants can grow up to three meters tall.
The bell-shaped, hermaphrodite flowers are very dense and have a white to slightly bass-blue crown. The plants grow in the Anaga Mountains up to an altitude of 600 meters. The plant is considered endangered in Spain. Larger stocks can be found not far from the town of Chamorga. Around 10,000 plants line the path on the way to the El Faro lighthouse.
Webb's Bugloss (Echium webbii)
Webb's Adder's Head is native to La Palma alone. The plant grows like a shrub and can grow up to 1.5 meters high. The leaves are covered with dense, silky hairs. Webb's Bugloss Bugloss flowers between March and April. The plants impress with an intense blue flower colour.
Increase the Viperbugloss
The viper's bugloss can be propagated by sowing. The seeds can be planted in spring or late autumn.
Tip: If the plants are to germinate in the same year, sow between July and September.
You can also prefer the plants in the seed container. Please note, however, that the viper's bugloss is a cold germ. So it won't work if you prefer the plants in the warm room.
The seeds are pressed into the ground up to three centimeters. Water the seeds well and do not let the soil dry out completely. The substrate should be about three centimeters dry, then water again. You can add some mature compost to the soil, young plants do not need any other fertilizer either.
Tip: Most viper's bugloss are biennials. After the flowers have formed, the plant dries up and dies.
Recognize diseases on the viper's bugloss
The hardy Adderbump is rarely afflicted by diseases. The most common problem is waterlogging. If the soil is too wet, the roots will rot and the plant will die.
Powdery mildew on the Adder's Head
Infestation with powdery mildew is possible. However, the fungus proves to be harmless and only forms a white coating on the leaves. This film is erasableand does not damage the plant in the long term. A solution of water and milk (ratio 9:1) is suitable for control. Spray the plant several times with this and the mildew will usually disappear without you having to use chemical agents.
Rust fungus Puccinia recondita viper's bugloss
However, the rust fungus Puccinia recondita can be dangerous for the viper's bugloss. The mushroom fungus can be recognized by a kind of rusty spot on the leaves. These are the spore stores of the fungus. If possible, remove all affected parts of the plant and spray the plant with nettle broth or horsetail manure.
Overwintering the Viper Bugloss properly
The viper's bugloss, which occurs in our latitudes, is adapted to our climate and is therefore fully hardy. The other plant species come almost exclusively from Mediterranean regions and are therefore not suitable for overwintering in the home garden.
You can also cultivate species from warm regions. However, you should plant them in tubs and store them in a frost-free and bright location over the winter.